Dhruv liked Professor McKindy. He was a pretty funny guy. Kinda awkward, but not as weird as Professor Bennett. Plus the hat was cool. Especially now that the second-year knew it was actually made of frogs. He cracked up as his older sister, Rhiya, fell over in surprise at the transfiguration spell. He knew for certain he could look forward to another rant about Professor McKindy’s teaching style when he spoke to her next.

His ears perked up at the warning about Carpe Retractem. Had it been later in the school year, Dhruv would have felt pretty confident about the spell, but after a summer with practically no magic use, he wasn’t too sure he’d be able to do it. As Professor McKindy wrapped up and people began forming groups Dhruv practiced a quick Wingardium Leviosa on a nearby rock. He raised it smoothly off the ground, his hand steady, until the rock was at eye level.

“Finite Incantatem.” The rock fell into Dhruv’s palm, still warm from the sun. He turned it over, following the white veins that spread across the black surface with his thumb. The Draco had never needed prizes to work hard in classes, and he wasn’t really the competitive type, at least not when it came to classes. He glanced over at Rhiya, relieved she hadn’t approached him for her group. Dhruv loved his sister, but she could get a bit…intense when it came to school, especially in lessons like this one. It looked like a poor, unassuming first-year was going to end up working with her. Dhruv shook his head. That wasn’t going to work out too well.

It looked like most people were just about done forming groups, and a few people had even started tackling the obstacle course. Dhruv looked around for some stragglers like himself when he spotted a first-year waving over to him. He stuck his wand behind his ear and plodded over. He was pretty sure the girl’s name was Remington – she was in Draco too and he’d made it a point to be familiar with the new people in his House.

“Yeah, sure! Let’s work together. I’m Dhruv by the way, also in Draco.” He walked over to the container that held the discs and picked one up. “So. Where do you think we should start?” He wished he could get on a broom and get an aerial view of the field. It’d be super easy to figure out the best path from there.

The first thing Remington had asked a staff member to charm was her alarm clock. It was one of the things she insisted on bringing with her from home. It could also work as a lamp; it had about four... more

Remington was relieved that she’d flagged down someone to be in a group with her. And the older student actually looked familiar, which meant they must have been a Draco. From what she could tell,... more

Dhruv smiled, bemused, as Remington flipped through her notebook. The second-year had been blessed with a fantastic memory, so taking notes in class wasn’t something he troubled himself with. That... more